Linking Trauma-Exposure with Violent Offending: Narrative Review and Clinical Implications

This chapter aims to establish possible links from trauma exposure to aggression and violence, making a case for further awareness of trauma exposure in violent populations and consequential perspectives for intervention.After a definition of the concepts of aggression, violence, and trauma, evidence is presented establishing a high prevalence of trauma exposure, particularly childhood adversity, in individuals with aggressive and violent behavior. The link between trauma and violence is proposed on the basis of empirical evidence, and possible mediators, such as PTSD symptoms and other mental illnesses, are discussed.Finally, a range of explanations for how trauma exposure can lead to violence are presented, including survival mode theory, emotional dysregulation, and mentalization. It is explored how each of these perspectives can provide directions for managing and treatment of the risk of violence. The chapter’s concluding section depicts how a relatively new concept, trauma-informed practice, can be used as a guiding point for further development of the field.